Why we sing, and other stories
We liked the idea of having somewhere to gather our thoughts, tell tales and invite you down the rabbit hole with us.
So we made a blog. It’ll be a collection of different voices and perspectives, all with Sacred Harp at the heart.
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Anne Foulkes tells the story of how she discovered the English tradition of West Gallery and how it eventually led her to its American cousin, Sacred Harp: A little over 20 years ago I moved, with my family, to South East Kent. Romney Marsh is a remote area, sandwiched between the White Cliffs of Dover…
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Vicki Elliott has composed two songs in the 2025 edition of The Sacred Harp. She tells us how she came to write them, and celebrates the contributions of women in the new book: September 2025 saw the launch of the much-anticipated 2025 edition of The Sacred Harp, and I am quietly (Britishly) thrilled that it…
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As Manchester Sacred Harp hosts its fifth All-Day singing, Hannah Land recalls the events which led to her founding the group in 2012: I don’t think I can recall a time where I didn’t know about shape note music and singing. It feels so innate to me. I’ve been singing the songs since childhood in…
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We’re very proud that Matthew Parkinson of Manchester Sacred Harp has two songs in the 2025 revision of The Sacred Harp. The week before the launch of the new book in Atlanta, Harriet Monkhouse and Jo Kay interviewed him about his discovery of Sacred Harp, how he composes songs, and how he feels about his…
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This is one for the geeks! Earlier this year, someone asked why the song on page 422 of the Sacred Harp book (1991 edition) is called Burdette, and someone else said “I think it’s one of the Denson family.” I couldn’t resist; I plunged down a very deep rabbit hole. I emerged clutching a family…
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“If you can hear your neighbour singing, you’re not loud enough”, some say. Sacred Harp – or shapenote singing in general – is sung in what some call “Full Voice”. I tend to call it “shouty singing”, but it really ISN’T about drowning out your neighbour. There’s incredible release in permission to sing with little…
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In November 2024, Manchester Sacred Harp took part in an amazing performance project with Grammy Award-winning US artist, Laurie Anderson, at Aviva Studios, Manchester. For those of us taking part, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience; for most of the 8,000+ audience members, it was a first encounter with Sacred Harp singing, in all its glory.…
Manchester Sacred Harp 